Positively Impacting Thousands of Lives from Aspen to Parachute, Rifle to Rangely
By Ali Naaseh-Shahry, Deputy Development Director at YouthZone
Read the Article on the Post Independent website HERE.
Here at YouthZone, we’re spending the dog days of summer reflecting on the last year and planning new ways that we can foster Hopeful Youth, Strong Families, and Safe Communities. Between July 2023 and June 2024, we served more than 500 juvenile clients, and impacted more than 2,000 community members from Aspen to Parachute and Rifle to Rangely.
All of our programs start with a two-generational comprehensive assessment of the family. This two-hour session, conducted by a highly-trained Youth Advocate, helps identify areas in which the youth has strengths, and areas in which they may have room to grow. Based on the results of the assessment, each client receives a series of services over the next three to six months that are tailored to their needs. These include court advocacy, substance use education classes, family and individual therapy, restorative justice, parent education, and more.
We’re proud that these services are being delivered by our world-class staff. 75% of our staff is bilingual, and the remainder are honing their skills as emerging bilinguals. All of our staff are trained in trauma-informed care, motivational interviewing, crisis prevention and substance use education. They’re extraordinarily diverse, coming from a wide range of socioeconomic, racial, and cultural backgrounds. At the end of the day, our people are our programs – the vast majority of our $2.4 million budget is dedicated to hiring, training, and retaining these professionals so they can provide the essential services that youth and families in our communities need.
The only cost that a YouthZone client incurs during their time with us is the initial $200 assessment fee. We cover the remainder of the cost, which ranges from $2,000 for a 3-month program and $4,000 for a 6-month program. In order to offset these costs, we apply for state and local grants, partner with local school districts and judicial systems, and solicit contributions from individual donors and local businesses.
This month, we’re excited to announce two unique opportunities for your business to sponsor a YouthZone client by covering the cost of our programming. If you choose to sponsor a 3-month program at $2,000, YouthZone will show our gratitude by making a post on our Instagram and Facebook accounts (@youthzoneglenwood) that includes your business’ name, logo, and social media handle. By sponsoring a 6-month program at $4,000, we’ll do everything mentioned above, as well as create a blog post on our webpage that highlights your commitment to our mission. We’ll include a link to the blog post in our newsletter, which reaches more than 3,000 people in our communities each month. If you’re unable to give at either of these levels, we’re always accepting donated products for our raffles and giveaways. At all levels, you’ll receive acknowledgement in our annual report, appear on the Donor Wall at our Glenwood Springs office, and receive a tax-deductible receipt.
Finally, if you’d like to multiply your contribution by tapping into your network, we’d love to host an “After Hours” cocktail party at your business. YouthZone will provide the food, drinks, and good times – you just bring the guests. At our last cocktail party, we raised enough to sponsor two clients. It’s a fun, easy, and low-risk way for us to educate community members about our work and raise money at the same time.
With your help, we’ll continue to provide top-tier services to youth and families in Garfield, Pitkin, Eagle, and Rio Blanco counties. We look forward to increasing both the quality and amount of services that we provide in these areas, and we plan to continue investing in our staff to ensure they’re just as happy and healthy as our clients. If you’d like to learn more about our mission, the services we provide, or other ways you can help, we encourage you to stop by our Glenwood Springs office. You can make a donation online at any time by visiting http://www.youthzone.com/give.
YouthZone is a nonprofit that prioritizes family support for parents, guardians, families, and adolescents. Our services, available from Aspen to Parachute, include parent counseling, education, family resources, and comprehensive assessment and advocacy to foster healthy relationships among youth, families, and communities. For more information and to access our support, visit youthzone.com or call 970-945-9300.
Ali Naaseh-Shahry is a Colorado native who holds degrees in international public policy from the University of Colorado (BA) and University College London (MSc). He moved to western Colorado in 2015 to teach six-and-under ski school at the Aspen Skiing Company. Ali has taught a wide variety of academic and experiential subjects to people of all ages. Most recently, he worked as a special education teacher with the Roaring Fork School District, where he used data-driven decision making to improve his delivery of specialized instruction. Ali enjoys lift-access powder skiing, raft-access fly fishing, and spending time with his cats.